America is one of the only countries on earth that is affected by volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes. And yet over 150 million Americans do not have a plan in case of a disaster.

Our client, FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency), approached us with a simple question: How could we convince Americans to prepare themselves?

Research shows that people don't prepare because they don’t think it’ll happen to them. The very idea of suffering through a natural disaster is too abstract to make them get ready. So we didn't focus on natural disasters.

Instead, we focused on the days before the natural disasters. The days that look like any other day. The days we can all relate to. You’d make a plan on those days. Because you never know when the day before is THE DAY BEFORE.

The year the campaign launched, 2012, was one of the worst years for natural disasters in the US. When the campaign began in September– National Preparedness Month –emergency planning was on the minds and lips of the entire country.

Our TV, Print, Outdoor, Radio and Digital work gave us a way to relate to the natural disasters we’d all witnessed on the news. Each piece led viewers to our customized FEMA site, Ready.gov/today, to make a plan, build an emergency kit, and get informed.

On the site, users interacted with a map of the country divided not by states, but by each state’s day before its worst natural disaster — and what that day led to. We made it clear that anyone could be a disaster victim, and that we all have a reason to prepare.

In the months following, Ready.gov hosted record-breaking traffic. With two million new visitors, the preparations trickled through families and networks. And the nation was better prepared for disasters.